Here Active Listening gives you a real time volume control for life

If you never stop working, you need your focus to remain intact at all times. When you finally do unplug for the day, sitting down for coffee or at a restaurant is supposed to be quiet time to unwind and process the events of the day. Of course, if there’s an awful song playing in the background, or you have the misfortune of being surrounded by small screaming children, your quiet time becomes nothing more than a nuisance you regret peeling yourself away from work for.

If you wish you could point a remote at life and turn it down a notch or two, then the Here Active Listening System is going to be your new favorite thing. This uses in-ear buds and a smartphone app to let you change the volume of your surroundings. This isn’t to be used for playing music, as it is more of a sound mixing studio in your ear. You’ll be able to control volume, an equalizer, and effects, which means you can choose how you listen to the world around you.

You can reduce the chatter you hear at the office, crying babies on the subway, or the whir of the engine on an airplane. If you are an avid concert goer, then you can imagine what it would be like to be able to turn up the bass, or mix the mids and treble as you see fit. This is completely wireless as it pairs to your mobile device via Bluetooth. There are multiple silicone tip sizes to choose from to get the snuggest fit, and there’s a charging case to put in your bag that can hold two charges for those long days. Those who are interested in this idea will be looking at tossing $179-199 to a crowdfunding campaign.